hi I am new here I work a Hospice and I am presently supporting a Palliative lady who has a 61 yr old son with Autism and Mum wants to plan for her son’s future re his housing needs . If anyone can sign post for support in the Birmingham area for this Mum I would appreciate this.

Thanks for reaching out on behalf of someone. I don’t have any information specific to housing in Birmingham, but I would start with your local authority in that respect. Housing provision in different local authorities can vary, and it also depends how far into the future you’re looking - what’s available now, might not be available in five or ten years.

As a more general starting point, I really like this booklet from the Foundation of People with Learning Disabilities (I’m assuming that because you’ve come to Mencap, the son who has autism also has a learning disability? Please ignore this advice if he doesn’t!). The booklet, called ‘thinking ahead’ covers several aspects of future planning, from housing, relationships, finances, wills & trusts etc and I find it quite a friendly and accessible format - it can be looked at by the Mum and Son (and professionals if wanted) together. You can print it out (or order a copy) and make notes on it. It might be reassuring for the Mum, to see different aspects talked about that she may or may not have thought about. It also includes comments from other parents, so it may help her to feel less isolated and scared about planning for the future (if she feels this way).

Further to Frances’s brilliant advice above, Mencap has a team who specialises in planning for the future for people with a learning disability. The mum you are supporting can find out more information here or give the team a call on 0207 696 6925.

In addition, Sense has an excellent booklet about planning ahead. If you go to this page, and scroll down, you need to click the link ‘Decisions to make, steps to take’ which will download the document as a PDF and you can print it off. The information isn’t specific to learning disability or autism, but could be a really useful starting point.

I hope this helps and all the best. It’s admirable that you’re supporting the mum in this way, she’s lucky to have you helping her.